


Unforgiven

by Drake_Dragua_22



Category: RWBY
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-06-03
Updated: 2020-06-03
Packaged: 2021-03-03 18:47:31
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,461
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24520324
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Drake_Dragua_22/pseuds/Drake_Dragua_22
Summary: A reunion of two distant lovers
Relationships: Raven Branwen/Taiyang Xiao Long
Comments: 1
Kudos: 7





	Unforgiven

It was a quite weekend afternoon in Patch for one Taiyang Xiao Long, who was currently making his way to the front yard whistling an old tune. He hadn’t had to do much lately since both of his daughters had went out on personal missions; Ruby his youngest had left without saying as much as a word, but at least she had left a letter behind. His oldest, Yang went after her sister though Taiyang wasn’t fully comfortable letting Yang go because of her injury. But he knew that Yang was an adult and he had to let her go out into the word because it was her choice, and he’s trained her as best as he could. But Taiyang is still their father and he would still worry about his daughters as any father would. Though his worry was slightly eased because Qrow had been following Ruby and her friends, keeping a watchful eye on them. Though he may not always say it but Taiyang always appreciated everything Qrow did, well except the time Qrow and Yang had finished the triple spiced brandy Taiyang had been saving for Yang for when she was old enough to drink.

Taiyang went over to the flower bed to see if there were any wilted buds or dried flowers that needed to be dealt with. All things were going well regarding his weekly routine until he heard a familiar sound, wing flaps. Not just any bird’s wing flaps though, they belonged to the kind of bird that was supernatural in nature. He was hoping it was Qrow, but was reminded that Qrow said he wouldn’t leave Ruby’s or Yang’s side, and as far as Taiyang could see his daughters weren’t in sight which only left one other candidate. _‘Raven’_ he thought to himself, and sure enough he was right. The woman in question appeared from the woods near the house, she walked closer to Taiyang and he was able to get a better look at the woman.

It was if she hadn’t aged a day since the last time Tai had seen her. Raven’s crimson eyes, her long black mane stretching down past her lower back, Omen still strapped to her side in its sheath, the skirt she wore which was just barely covering her peach rump. Tai shook himself out of thought process as he had to now focus at the task at hand.

“Well, this isn’t the home we made Tai.” Raven spoke first

Tai didn’t respond, instead he went back to tending to the flowers.

Raven now slightly annoyed continued, “I thought you said you would always take care of the house we made together.”

And again, Tai did not respond to Raven.

Now Raven was now annoyed, she stormed over towards Tai and grabbed him by his shoulder, though she didn’t expect what would happen next. Tai grabbed Raven by the wrist and judo threw her to the side mindful of making sure she didn’t land in the flower bed. Raven quickly got up and drew Omen, Tai’s antic had pissed her off and now she lunged at him to strike.

Taiyang sidestepped an upward slash from Raven and drove his elbow into her ribs right below her left breast. Raven winced at the pain, she expected a broken rib but as far as she could tell that wasn’t the case. Before raven could backstep Tai had wrapped his arm around Raven’s neck and slammed his knee into her abdomen, dropping Raven to her knees.

“What’re you doing Raven?! You Know you can’t beat me!” Tai told her in an icy tone.

Raven wouldn’t hear it, she let loose her grip on Omen and shot straight up, upper-cutting Tai in the face and drawing blood from his nose. But Tai didn’t flinch he grabbed Raven’s outstretched arm with his left hand and pulled her over him slamming Raven on the ground. Before Raven could get back up, Tai had already rolled on top of her pinning her arms down on the ground. Raven now laid on the flat of her back, with Tai on top her blood dripping down from his nose.

“WHAT ARE YOU DOIN RA-“ Tai screamed but was cut off by the sight under him, Raven crying.

Raven was one of the strongest women Tai knew but to see her like this did hurt his heart. He rolled off of Raven and sat beside her, Raven sat up and buried her face in her hands. Tai heard the pained cries from as she broke down besides him, yes Raven had hurt him, she’d hurt his daughter too, but to see the woman he once loved unravel like this broke Tai’s heart.

So, against his better judgement Tai did the one thing he never thought he would be able to do again, he hugged her. Tai embraced Raven in a tight hug and she returned the gesture hugging him tight, so tight Tai felt that a rib or two might crack. Raven buried her face in Tai’s chest continuing to sob wetting his shirt. Tai instinctively placed his left hand on Raven’s lower back and tracing circles trying to calm her down and he placed his right hand at the base of her neck gently massaging it in such a way only he was allowed to. The two ex-lovers stayed in there embrace for an hour not moving an inch. This presented an issue to Tai, Raven had somehow fallen asleep in his arms, though it did remind of the times this had happened when they were together all those years ago.

Tai being Tai cradled Raven in his arms and gently lifted her and carried her into the house. Tai thought about placing Raven on the couch, but then he would have to walk past her when he had to do something, not to mention difficult to explain if someone happened to drop by; like Qrow or Yang. So, despite his better judgment he carried her up the stairs and to his room. He placed Raven on the bed and pulled the covers over her and tucked her in, Tai made sure to keep Omen besides the night stand because, if Raven was scary enough the only thing more terrifying was an angry Raven who ‘misplaced’ Omen. Tai closed the door behind him and leaned against it _‘So **that** happened today’_ he thought to himself as he brushed a hand against his nose noticing the dried blood. He made his way to the bathroom downstairs to wash his face and think about the choices he made today as he sat down on the couch in the main living area.

Tai turned on the tv and turned down the volume not disturb Raven, Zwei sensing the conundrum his owner had made way to his side. The black and white corgi jumped on the couch besides Tai and rested his head on Tai’s lap, demanding daily scratches so his owner would be distracted from what was on his mind.

“Hey there big guy, noticed something was off huh?” Tai asked his loyal companion who just barked in response.

“Yeah me too bud. Hey guess what Raven’s back.” Tai continued garnering a scared look from the corgi.

“You’re right, I should be careful with her and be ready for whatever might happen.” Tai finished scratching Zwei right behind the ear on his favorite spot, getting a happy yip from the corgi.

Tai got up from the couch and patted himself off. Yes, the arrival of Raven **is** unexpected, but there are still chores that needed to be done. So, Tai did just that; finishing up his task of the flower beds before he got interrupted, then doing the dishes and laundry, and finally going into town to get groceries just in case a _certain guest_ was feeling hungry, leaving Zwei to guard the house in case there was trouble. And gladly enough there was none as Tai made his way back.

It was getting late and Tai was wondering if he should start cooking dinner but was unsure if Raven was going to stay or not, as she did have a habit of _‘leaving’_ unceremoniously. So Tai pulled out the chair from the dining table sat down and chose to wait for her, whether if she was going to make her way down or not was another matter entirely. Time passed slowly for Tai as he checked the time on his scroll ‘8:30 pm’ it read. Sounds of footsteps made Tai look up from his scroll and was greeted by the sight of the woman in question, the difference being was that Omen was absent from her hip and her right arm reached out in front of her grabbing her left arm.

“Hey.” Raven let out softly, which was very unusual for her.

“Hey.” Tai replied taking in the sight. “Are you hungry?” 

Raven didn’t say a word instead just nodded her head in silence.

Tai gestured for her to take a seat, she pulled out a chair and sat down. She averted eye contact with Tai, still no word from her. Tai got up and got to work cooking, since it would be the two of them it would easy enough to prepare, besides he knew what food Raven liked, pork curry with vegetables over steamed rice.

Tai fetched the small chunks of pork and cut onions, carrots, green onions, and peas he had prepared beforehand from the fridge. Getting a pot from the cabinets he turned on the stove on low heat and put drizzles of olive oil in the pot along with some herbs and spices, he stirred the mixture getting the consistency right. Tai happy with it dropped the veggies and pork chunks into the pot and continued to stir slowly, he slowly kept raising the heat to get the onions to a nice crisp and pre-heating the oven to 400° F.

Raven watched Tai from her seat, a feeling of warmth creeping inside her as she watched him cook like all those years ago. But that feeling wouldn’t last she squashed it, she couldn’t feel that feeling because of what she’d done. Though try as she might she couldn’t stop the feeling as it crept up on her again. She wanted to say something to break the silence in the air but Tai beat her to it.

“Why are you here Raven?” Tai asked as he went to the pantry to get a box of pork broth which he half emptied into the pot and put a lid on top as he turned the heat on to high.

Caught off-guard Raven took a pause to think about what she was going to say because she only had one chance, “I-I wanted to come home.” She said holding back her building emotions.

“I thought your tribe was your home?” Tai interjected turning away from the stove and focusing his attention on Raven.

“Not anymore.”

“Why?”

“Because I disbanded it.”

That information almost shocked Tai because if Raven ever really cared about one thing it was her tribe. He refocused at the task at hand of dinner as it was the priority currently. He reached for the bowl besides the sink that had the three and a half cups of rice he had rinsed an hour ago and emptied it into the rice cooker along with four cups of water and set it to cook.

With one more thing checked off the list in preparation for dinner, Tai turned his attention back to Raven, unsatisfied with the answer she had given.

“I’ll ask again Raven. Why are you here?” Tai asked with a firm voice.

“I said because I wanted to come ho-“

“DON’T GIVE ME THAT SORRY EXCUSE RAVEN!” Tai interjected snapping at her.

Though she expected it, Raven was still taken aback by the sudden outburst.

“I DON’T SEE YOU FOR ALMOST TWENTY YEARS! AND YOU DECIDE TO SHOW UP OUT OF THE BLUE NOW?!?!?!” Tai continued.

“IT WAS BAD ENOUGH YOU LEFT WITHOUT SAYING A WORD AFTER YANG WAS BORN! AND DON’T EVEN GET ME STARTED ON WHAT HAPPENED TO YANG AFTER BEACON FELL! SHE NEEDED YOU! HER MOTHER! THE SAME ONE WHO LEFT HER AFTER SHE WAS BORN!” Tai just dug into Raven not holding back.

Raven looked away from Tai she couldn’t look at him let alone she didn’t have anything she could say, how could she? Everything Tai was saying was right. She ran away from the responsibilities of being a mother and she wasn’t there for her daughter when she needed someone.

With everything Tai had said to her and her current state became too much to bear for her, so she did the only thing she could do in the situation; cry. She hated crying because it showed weakness, something which went against her upbringing and beliefs. But she couldn’t help it, her eyes flooded and the water works rushed down her cheeks. She wanted to say something but the words were caught in her throat. The only thing she was able to do cover her face with her hands to try and muffle her pained cries.

Tai didn’t know what was the right thing to do the situation seeing Raven as a sobbing mess hurt his heart, but she had hurt much more, and not just him she also hurt his beloved daughter, something he didn’t know he could ever forgive her for.

But before he could say something his attention turned to the pot with the boiling pork curry. Seeing as that was done he quickly turned off the heat for the stove, opened the stove grabbed the pot by the handles and placed it inside closing the oven letting the curry brew inside.

“I-I’m s-s-sorry Tai.” Was all that Raven could mutter between breaths.

Tai now fully focused his attention on Raven as he didn’t worry about dinner being cooked at the moment. He walked over to the dining table sitting himself down and just listening to Raven.

“I’m so sorry Tai. For everything. Leaving you and Yang. For not coming back when Summer passed. For not coming to consul Yang after Beacon fell.” Raven was able to let out as she wiped her tears and nose.

“I know I’ve done horrible things, and I won’t ask for forgiveness because I know I don’t deserve it. But I want you to know that I truly am sorry for everything I’ve done.” She finished as she was finally able to look Tai in the eyes, but not for long as she buried her face in on of her hands as the other rested on the table.

After moments had passed she felt something reach for her and grab her hand, she looked up to see Tai was holding her hand, and he still had that stupid smile on his face. The smile that Raven fell in love with all those years ago. Despite everything they’ve said to each other these past hours, Tai still found a way to warm up her heart.

“Raven I’m going to ask you one more time, and please answer honestly, for me. Why did you come here?” Tai asked as gently as he could, there wasn’t even a hint sternness in his voice or anger.

“I came back here to you, because I missed you. And I missed what we used to be.” She said softly

“And what did we used to be Raven?” Tai asked.

“Happy.” She explained

The answer took Taiyang by surprise because he will admit deep down he did miss the happiness he had with Raven.

“And I know how it sounds and that it probably doesn’t mean much coming from me but, I truly am sorry for everything I’ve done and everything that’s happened because of me.”

“And I want you to know that I’m willing to do anything and everything to pay for what I’ve done.”

The words from Raven left Tai dumbstruck, he had always hoped deep down that maybe just maybe Raven would come back, and now that she was back sitting in front of him and apologizing, he didn’t know what to say.

Though he didn’t need to as the rice cooker beeped letting him know that the rice was done. Tai got up and made his way to check on the curry in the oven, wearing the oven mitt he slowly lifted the lid and was bombarded the sweet and tangy aroma of the curry, _‘Heavenly as always’_ he thought to himself as he slowly removed the pot from the oven and placed it on the stove. He fetched a couple of plates from the dishwasher and started filling them with rice and curry. _‘Half a plate of rice with the curry on top and a bit more pork chunks for Raven, just the way she likes it.’_ He reminded himself filling the plates.

Getting the spoons from a drawer Tai made his way back to the table and set the plates for each of them. Raven waited for Tai to take his seat, and soon both of them dug into their dinners.

When Raven took her first bite she didn’t show it but she was over the moon with the food, the raw creamy and earthly flavor of the curry, the chunky and chew pork chunks overjoyed her taste buds. Its been so long since she had a proper home cooked meal. Sure she and the others cooked back in the tribe but all those meals lacked the care and heart Tai put into his cooking.

Tai tried gauge Raven’s reaction to make sure it was properly made, but her almost blank demeaner made it quite difficult, so tai tried to be direct.

“So, how do you like the food?” He asked.

“It’s fine.” Raven lied trying to be coy. “Pork’s still undercooked a little.”

“Yeah well, you always loved it that way.” Tai replied giving a soft smile

“You still remember?” Raven retorted.

“Of course. How could I forget? This was all you would ask for to eat when you pregnant. You almost cleared out the butcher of pork on a weekly basis.” Tai explained. Of course, he remembered how Raven liked the curry, because Yang likes it the same way.

That comment made Raven feel a bit ashamed, she knew Tai didn’t mean to say it intentionally, but that didn’t stop her from remembering her failure as a mother. They continued to eat the rest of the dinner silence, though it wasn’t awkward for either of them. Tai took the empty plates and set them in the dishwasher and said to himself that he would clean the rest of the dishes in the morning, because as for the moment he was tired and a full stomach didn’t help.

“So, I’m guessing you’ll be staying the night?” Tai asked

Raven nodded, “If you’ll have me.” to which Tai nodded in response

He walked over to the closet under the stairs and got some spare pillows and cover, along with some old clothes he didn’t wear anymore and walked back and handed them to Raven.

“These are just some old clothes, they’ll fit you. Will the couch be fine?” he asked

“It’ll be perfect. Thank you” Raven replied

“Alright, the bathroom is besides the stairs you can change in there.” Tai spoke as he made his way to the stairs and stopped as he took the first step, “Will I be seeing you in the morning Raven?” he asked without looking back.

“Yes, I’ll be here in the morning. I promise.” She replied

They both said their goodnights as Tai made his way upstairs. Raven made her way to the bathroom to change, she stripped down to her undergarments and slipped on the t-shirt and pajamas Tai gave her. they were about two sizes too big but she didn’t mind, she was happy that Tai was letting her stay. Raven made her way to the couch, she turned off the lights to the living room and laid down on the couch sliding under the cover slowly.

With one pillow under her head Raven embraced the other one close to her, her grip tightening on it. She wished that it was Tai, she wished that he was holding tight letting her know she was safe. But she knew she couldn’t have that as she knew; she didn’t deserve it. Though Raven couldn’t change the past she had to focus on the future, more specifically the coming morning and the promise she’s made.

 _‘I’ll be here in the morning Tai, I won’t run away again. I promise.’_ Was the final thought that ran through her mind as she drifted off to sleep.

**Author's Note:**

> Hi guys, thanks for reading this story is always something i wanted to happen in the show. so when it didn't i decided to force the hands of fate.  
> so far i don't know if i'm going to continue with this, maybe down the road but i don't think in the immediate future. 
> 
> Any and all feedback and criticism is welcome!


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